writer, editor & phd candidate

There are some fun characters in The Bugman Lives!. The competitive and snarky semi-friendship between Janet and Carl is very enjoyable, and the addition of Willow part-way through the book adds another type of friendship. There’s also a strong sense of setting, with Gorman doing a great job of conveying the feel of summer.

The Bugman himself is a little less convincing. As a villain, he’s not particularly scary, and his motivation isn’t very well described. In addition, it’s not very clear what is going on in the epilogue. It almost feels as though the story could have used another couple of chapters and, given that it’s one of the shorter Ghosts of Fear Street books, I’m sure the extra length would have been okay.

While there is definitely an audience for The Bugman Lives! I don’t think it is one of the better books in the Ghosts of Fear Street series. Nevertheless, it’s a quick and easy read for young readers who like the idea of an army of bugs!